A Strand of Silver and Black
by Karis Langdon
Summary: ItaKaka. Hatake Kakashi is assigned another S rank mission to go in search of Uchiha Itachi and the unknown motives of him and Akatsuki. A battle is kicked into gear and the outcome is not at all what Kakashi expects. Contains some minor spoilers.
1. Onset of the Hunt

**Disclaimer: READ!!!!! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. The only named character that that I own in this chapter is Kozue Shinichi, and he doesn't really have a part. I did not copy off of any one else's story, I have hardly read any fan fictions on here at all yet.**

**Author's Note:** **This is the first fan fiction that I have ever written. If you think I've copied something, you are mistaken, but if you must tell me, then tell me. I do this for fun. I basically just turned 16! When I read through the story to edit, I find that it is a somewhat serious plot. This is a Kakashi X Itachi; a guy x guy pairing. It may not seem like it at first, it is slow going, but please be prepared. If you are offended by these types of things, DO NOT READ!! It starts out as a regular story at first. I will warn you when the time comes. **

**EDIT: 7/15/07 **

**Onset of the Hunt**

Smothering darkness leaked into the evening's golden hued twilight. At first it crept in with a thin layer of nighttime clouds, dulling the bands of oranges and pinks, whisking away any stray birds that fluttered by back into their nests. The occasional, lukewarm breeze became a passive sensation to the outskirts of the community, playing with the treetops and tossing the loose hair of random passerby's. The clouds, now just a collection of grey billows, lingered for a while, and then seemed to wash away, revealing a hushed kingdom of star speckled and indigo blue.

The majority of nights in Konoha were just like this one, highlighted by the reflection of the moon's rays on all of the village rooftops. It was quiet, for the most part, a cluster of insects chirping under the dew laden grass, or a few juts of laughter from the last customers of Ichiraku Ramen that night.

Among the various shades of pastel roof coverings, lay a single, grown man. He sat there with his back resting evenly on the yellow brick wall behind him. His arms drooped lazily across his propped up knee as he gazed out into the center of the village. Silver hair spiked towards his fine angled face, which was half covered in a black mask, leading down to his unzipped, olive green flack jacket.

His warm flesh shivered slightly in the chilly atmosphere. It had rained recently, bringing fresh air into the mouth of Konoha. Kakashi, with his leaf head-protector cast a few inches beside him, held his left eye casually closed. The scar upon it trailed vertically downwards and was barely visible in the darkness. He sighed in contempt.

Tonight, Icha Icha Tactics was to be seen through the window below him, lying on top of his headboard with the last chapter still left unread. A few feet away, lay the rest of the Icha Icha series, all of their orange covers worn out from the many re-reading sessions that he had taken part in. It certainly was an odd scene, seeing the famous Kakashi without is infamous books. There just hadn't been time to catch up on his favorite hobby in the past few days.

Lately, his missions had been occupied by numerous searches for Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki associates. He had gotten as far as the Hidden Rock when he and three ANBU members caught up with man named Kozue Shinichi. He had been causing trouble, whether it was collapsing various mineral mines throughout its land and other nearby towns, or trying to delay its creation of shorter trade routes to other countries. He had been supposedly tipped off by some member of Akatsuki. They must have had some mysterious need to cut off the abruptly large economic growth in Rock.

Kakashi ran a hand though his hair with a huff of frustration. It had only been a little less than twenty-four hours since his return to the village with Shinichi. So far, the top specialist in torture and interrogation, Morino Ibiki, hadn't even been able to get a shot of information from him. The look in that mans eyes held nothing but the effects of existence. It was almost like he was a walking corpse…a puppet.

It didn't make any sense at all. Did it have something to do with Orochimaru? He knew that something had occurred between him and Itachi while they were in Akatsuki together, resulting in their now enemy relationship. Both parties were just trying to corrupt and take over everything around them, each trying to stop one another in their quests. No matter what happened, Konoha always seemed to be stuck in the middle of it all.

He continued staring off into the labyrinth of buildings before him. The air stirred with an electric pulse, the buzzing swish of rapid movements. The silver haired jounin looked up half heartedly. A few seconds later, an ANBU member was to be seen before him, crouched lowly to the ground, his white cat mask reflecting an eerie glow in the black background. His frizzy, russet tinted hair then swung back over across his face, catching up with the breeze caused by his arrival.

"Kakashi, a message from the fifth." The man's voice was quiet and breathy.

"Tsunade?" Kakashi perked his head to the side.

"You've been assigned another S-rank mission. Pursue Itachi at all costs, gather what information you possibly can without being discovered."

"Again…? Did something happen?" Unintentionally, his voice had sounded rather jaded.

"The man you took prisoner, Kozue Shinichi…," He paused, finally seeing a glint of interest in the silver haired man's eyes, and then continued. "He's finally started to give in a bit, but we still don't know the details. Akatsuki has already found a few of the Jinchuuriki (1) and extracted their bijuu (2)." Kakashi's eyes widened at this. _Akatsuki had come this far already…?_ _They defiantly aren't playing around_…. The man continued.

"There is more information, but it's severely restricted only to the Hogake and ANBU." He stopped again, a rather insisting edge entering his voice. "You know…it's not too late to join back up with us, Kakashi…."

The jounin almost doubled over with skepticism. "No, I think it's best if I remain a here, a simple jounin….for my students…." He thought about this with an overwhelming feeling of doubt. He honestly had little more to teach those two, now that they were all under the guidance of the three legendary sannine. Sasuke was lost to them for now, but he too was under the guidance of Orochimaru, the most powerful of the three. His spirit fell at this. Was he needed here any longer? He had joined ANBU, back when he was younger, one sharingan eye richer, filled with grief and anger towards himself, after the death of his closest friend.

Reluctantly, Kakashi remained at attention as the ANBU affiliate fled back to the original topic, knowing full well that he had failed in his attempt to recruit the leaf Nin.

"The main point is; we need to double the missions, for everyone. We can't risk wasting anymore time. Leave tonight or early in the morning, the fifth doesn't care, but the earlier the better. We need to stop them. Others have been dispatched and are already on their way. Go alone to escape detection, but we won't be far away. You should be able to track us down if you're careful."

With no questions asked, the man departed in a flash, leaving Kakashi alone to prepare. Thinking, he decided that tonight would be best. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing this new information anyways.

Quickly, he slipped into his room through the window and started throwing things together for the journey. Thinking ahead, he silently stripped down his clothing, revealing the fair skin of his body. He didn't know when the next time he'd be able to bathe would be. A quick shower and then it was off to the wilderness. He stepped briskly into the bathroom.

After the water flowing from the showerhead grew hot, he stepped under it, slipping off his mask at the last second. The humid vapors immediately engulfed his muscled form. The steam rose up harmlessly through the air of the room. He needed to enjoy this comfort. It was hard to find any relaxation while on a mission.

Besides the calmness, this also gave him more think time. There was always way too much thinking time in this place. It seemed that all he lived for, all that he had ever lived for, was the missions he was assigned. He had no one here for him anymore. No family, no friends…. Maybe Konoha really had become too soft. He closed his eyes, letting the water wash over him, falling like tears into the drain.

It was two hours past midnight when he finally bolted across the village and out of its salmon colored gate. He had managed to stop and check on Sakura and Naruto one last time before he left. They were both sleeping now, unaware that their sensei wouldn't be there in the morning. Their silent sleeping forms; at peace now that they weren't continually fighting over the silliest things. He sighed and pushed back a stray strand of hair. Despite the fact that they were still learning, they really had grown.

Respectively, he had also paid a visit to Obito's memorial. His hands trailed down the engravings with a dolorously, overbearing affection. What had it been like for them? Did they know that they were dying when that time had come? Had they known like Obito had known? His finger traced the etched in letters of his name, before he solemnly put his hands back into his pockets. He bowed his head for a moment, mourning in the rich melancholy that the evening seemed to portray.

There was no time to loose. He couldn't spend all of his time standing here because he knew that it wasn't going to solve anything. He had to find Itachi. That was his mission now, not one that had been assigned so long ago. It was for the well being of Konoha and everyone in it. The jounin started to make his way back into the dense forest of trees behind him.

All of this had started seemingly with the Uchiha clan. It all linked back. The only advantage he had, compared to everyone else, was his red Sharingan eye, which he also received from an Uchiha. It was not his, but Obito's, his best friend. His dead best friend. He placed a hand onto the skewed head protector, momentarily closing his uncovered eye.

Honestly enough, he didn't have any idea where to look for Akatsuki, the deadly gang of missing Nin's. On previous missions like this, he had just traveled as far as he could until he received some information fine enough to report back to the Hokage. This time just didn't feel the same as the others though. This time, there was rigid and sinister evil in the air. It was very real. Real enough to make the thumping of your heart beat out of sync with the rushing of your blood.

1.) **Jinchuuriki**- A person within whom a bijuu has been sealed at birth is called a Jinchuuriki, like Naruto.

2.) **Bijuu**- The nine demons that exist scattered throughout the Naruto world, each with a different number of tails ranging from 1-9.


	2. At Odds with Itachi

**Disclaimer: READ! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story; I write all the chapters on loose leaf paper during study hall at school, so don't look at me. I'm obviously not looking off anything during school, and then I come home to type them. Also, there are some spoilers in this chapter. You have been warned. **

**EDIT: 7-15-07 **

**At Odds with Itachi **

It was the end of his first week of traveling and Kakashi had made it to some stretch of land between the river country and the Sand. Technically, Kakashi hadn't traveled far; he was still somewhat near Konoha. He had spent most of his time in scattered villages, asking and hinting for any signs of any mysterious activity, by anyone. He'd met up with some vile merchants, and a few young couples, and everything in between. He'd found nothing. Acid rose in his throat. _This was going to take a while_….

He continued on his way, walking across an old bridge in front of small river harbor. This particular village had probably been of the most help to him, he thought sarcastically, and it was empty too. Nothing was here besides splintered fish shacks and crumbling roads. Everything seemed to be layered in dusty films of river grime. It had been a rainy season that year. The river must have overflowed one too many times, causing irritation in the villagers. That might have been what made them leave. The jounin scratched his chin while looking down at the water. It looked clear enough, not muddy. It hadn't flooded recently at least…he'd be able to use this.

He bent down in a refined manner, loosening the knot that held his water pouch in place on his back. Spinning off the cap, he tucked it in his vest pocket and dipped its nozzle underneath the surface of the water. There were a few gulping swishes of air bubbles before the container began to take the water in. He watched it with a tired gaze. He hadn't slept since last morning.

His face tilted up towards the sun, its golden cast now halfway hidden by the field of abandoned wheat growth to his left. He yawned lazily. No luck on news, no luck on Itachi, no luck in the mission. Something told him that it was going to be a long time until he would be going home. He hated missions like these. More think time and no action. What was he going to do with all this sulking and thinking? It would drive him to the edge of insanity. Not like he wasn't a bit off to begin with….

He lifted up the pouch and screwed the cap back on with a simple flick of his fingers and tied it back onto his pack. He stood up and finished his walk across the bridge. Water trickled from the material of the water sack

A thorn bush snagged at his arm as he passed it, tearing a small thread of his shirt from its stitching. He glanced at the bush for a moment and took the thread back, putting it in his pocket. He noted that this breed of bush only grew in arid conditions. The air had changed and was dryer than it had been actually…. He was getting closer to the desert. But he just had a hunch about this area.

For a while he pondered on whether to bring out his Nin dogs or not. He decided against it as it would waste chakra and would obviously make him more detectable. He needed to keep as low of a profile as Akatsuki had done for the past few years. He continued alone with his own skills.

Nightfall came again on the seventh night and he found himself quite weary. In the middle of a cluster of trees nearby, he jumped up in a catlike manner and decided to make do with a branch to rest in. It would be smarter than to just lie out in the open on the earthy ground. He sat down his bag and quickly did a scope of the area, setting as many traps as he thought necessary. He had to be cautious in this region. Kakashi realized that he was taking a large risk sleeping out in the middle of the forest like this, but he had no other options.

After he was satisfied with the setup of his traps, he returned to the tree and quickly swallowed a small, lime green food pill. He took a short chug from his water pouch and let it fall back to his side. The silver haired jounin took a quick glance around before he let his exhaustion consume him.

Sleep.

Four hour's later, at a heartbeats pace away, a tall figure paced back and forth, his uniform Akatsuki cloak skimming across the ground and his huge sword smacking to the ground when he slumped. He stopped only to glare at his partner in a frustrated manner and continued pacing.

"Itachi…are you being chicken?" The question brought a kunai flying towards him, hitting the man straight in the center of his forehead protector. Itachi gazed at him with the cold expression that had always been a simple reflex to him.

"Shut up Kisame." The Uchiha looked intently into the forest at a spot on the ground. At first you wouldn't have seen anything, but underneath the green veins of at least forty leaves, there lay a complete and clever set up pulley system. Ingeniously and carefully set up... Something had to lie beyond that single, wide ranged trap. He sniffed at the air. The only outcome he received was the burning sensation of dry air rushing down his throat, fusing into his lungs. They weren't far from the lair, so the reason that the intruder must be there, was exactly that.

Itachi's sharingan activated immediately as he jolted forward, dodging all of the tiny steel threads that suddenly crisscrossed into his path.

Kisame Hoshikagi looked after him in exasperation, a sick grin on his face. He flung Samehada (1) upon his shoulder and stalked off in the opposite direction. He'd leave the fun for Itachi to handle. He snickered.

Itachi's white leggings seemed to whirl together with speed as he drew closer and closer. The spacing of the taps grew closer and closer together. He deftly passed them, but had to stop a few times for him to contemplate on what to do in order to get past them.

There….

The ruby tinted eyes caught a glimmer of a silver head up in the tree just five feet from where he stood. Alertly he looked around before deciding that it was safe to approach. In an instant he was up on the branch, his muscled hand grasping at the neck of the sleeping body, death in his eyes. A split second later he threw his hand away from its neck. It was not a person at all but a scarecrow…. _Kakashi_. His features turned into a grimace. _Damn_.

The next moment, Itachi was leaping off of the bark, blocking three shuriken that were let fly in his direction. They plunged into the tree trunk where, just moments ago, Itachi had been. The missing Nin darted directly towards the area in which the weapons had been thrown from. He brushed against the jounin with unmistakable speed, stabbing him in the stomach. There was a resulting poof and clunk as a small log tumbled to the ground. He whirled around in irritation. He had been too hasty.

"Still playing your old tricks, Kakashi-san…" His face was shadowed as he caught a glimpse of the leaf shinobi. His eyes were wide, emanating his scarlet powers.

"Itachi-san…you found me." Kakashi stared back at him with both eyes, the marked sharingan uncovered. He had almost said this in a perky way, but his features showed otherwise. "I've been searching for you."

"I see." Itachi's eyes narrowed as he placed two fingers to his forehead, in the center of his eyes. _Mangekyou Sharingan_.

Kakashi jumped back a few meters, closing his non-sharingan eye. If Itachi used this technique it was all over. It was his strongest attack, giving him the ability to enter another's mind and make them feel or see anything that he so pleased. The last time Kakashi himself had come up against it, he had been unconscious for several days.

The Uchiha was far above the leaf Nin's jounin level, but the match was not completely hopeless…well at least Kakashi hoped so. Kakashi's retreat brought forth an amused glint from Itachi's eyes. "Is the copycat scared?"

Inside, Kakashi shook. Would Itachi stoop so low as to mock him?

Thoughts rambled into the jounin's head. Recently he had been able to unleash his own new Mangekyou Sharingan, but it was different, and not as efficient as Itachi's was due to the fact that he was not an Uchiha. He couldn't use it now; he would be out cold afterwards. He didn't have the chakra and stamina that the Uchiha clan did. He tried to calmly decide the best route of action.

Itachi seemed to grow impatient and advanced forward. All that Kakashi was able to do now, was stare at the other man's feet. There was no other choice. He'd have to last as long as he could without using his mangekyou. Honestly, he didn't even know if it would work against the Uchiha, or if he'd even be able to activate it. He'd only been successful a few times….

"Are you alone?" The tone that came from Itachi's lips was cold and almost emotionless. The Uchiha even seemed to sneer at him. The sneer wasn't actually there, but it was horrifyingly vivid in his dark eyes.

Kakashi's silent and pained expression was his answer. Images of ANBU flashed across his mind. How close were they anyway? He hadn't detected a single one since he had set out, but until now, he hadn't needed help. He admitted to himself that he couldn't handle Itachi alone, but now was the time that he really needed help, but didn't sense anyone around for miles. He was alone.

"Yes?" Itachi stepped closer. Kakashi also took a step back. This brought the sides of Itachi's mouth to curve slightly. "Then let's get this over with." The wave of his voice was harsh and implied the continuation of the fight. Their silhouettes glowed in the soft moonlight that filtered in through the branches again.

The two shinobi clashed once again, each bracing against each other with brute strength. All of the jounin's reactions were slow at first, but then eventually got accustomed to the missing Nin's foot movements. It was a complex struggle. They flashed around one another, jabbing out with various weapons. Kakashi created the Chidori two times, only managing to scathe Itachi's left arm; it's gruesome scorch marks visible from where he was standing twenty feet away.

Both were covered in scratches and bruises, but the Uchiha was obviously the one with the least amount of damage. Scarlet streams of life leaked out from all of Kakashi's various wounds. His breathing was thick and somewhat labored. The food pill he had eaten earlier had allowed him to last this long already. It had been a half hour, and already he was feeling the strain. He just couldn't keep up. He looked over to his foe.

Itachi watched him unblinkingly, with an odd glower in the red of his eyes. Kakashi, however, was unaware of this, for he still looked only at feet of his opponent. How much longer would he be able to last? The enemy had so much stamina and power, dodging the majority of his attacks. It was a miracle he had lasted this long, but using his sharingan any more wouldn't lead to a happy ending. It was the same he hoped, for Itachi as well. How long could Itachi keep using his own sharingan?

Itachi's white leggings blurred into a run yet again, this time he was coming directly at him. What was he…? The leaf Nin jumped back, but was slightly delayed. Staring at only the feet proved difficult among all of the shadows of tree roots and underbrush. There was hardly any light now that the moon had shifted its midnight position. All at once, there was a spray of silver lined blood as itachi's hand cut through his abdomen. Doing so forced Kakashi's eyes to meet the pair of dreaded black pupils. Immediately he knew it was all over.

But it wasn't.

Now, glaring at each other, both suddenly dripping in sweat, were two Mangekyou Sharingan; both cancelling each other out. It was an effort to fight off the effects, but so far it was working. Itachi gasped quietly, eyes wide.

"Kakashi...you…?" The silver haired jounin couldn't help but smirk at this. It was one eye against two, unbalanced, causing a throbbing ache to travel from the back of his head to the center of his gut. He couldn't even keep this up for long. They leapt back from each other. Kakashi cringed in pain as he placed a bruised hand to the bleeding gape in his lower torso. This was a serious infliction. Soon, he would be out of both blood and chakra. He propped himself against a tree. He could barely move his limbs now. His vision grew hazy, but was able to see Itachi's shadow begin to advance forward. It was over now…he couldn't even stand. He slid down the tree, consumed by pain and exhaustion. His entire front was drenched in a bold crimson dye. What was to become of him now…?

His head drooped down a little, causing strands of silver hair to fall down, dripping blood into the soil. It was hard to see anything in the blackness of the forest. The Uchiha grabbed the jounin's collar and pulled him up straight to meet his gaze. His stiff body pulled back in protest with the last of his strength.

Itachi gazed into Kakashi's Mangekyou. He glared angrily at the Jounin, shocked and frustrated. This wasn't going to get anywhere if they were canceling each other out. He attempted to grab at Kakashi's neck, but failed. He tried a few more various attacks that were so quick no normal eye, or even a normal sharingan could follow. Each time Kakashi had blocked him in the nick of time. Itachi bared his teeth slightly, staring into Kakashi's eyes, seeing the pain that he was in. Just a bit longer…and maybe he could overpower him….

There was no hope of escape this time. Kakashi's gaze widened in transfixed fear and pain, the moon had seemed to turn red in the dark sky, his body soaked with its color.

Itachi was now staring into the now deactivated Mangekyou. Kakashi was out of Chakra. How convenient.

Shit, now it was over…. Kakashi watched as Itachi's eyes narrowed in triumph. He was thrown into an illusion for a few seconds.

The final blows of pain inside Kakashi's mind caused by the technique left him gasping air in the real world, only to fade out of consciousness. He lost awareness right then and there, and was soon drifting off into another land; far from the terror and aches that he had just experienced.

1.) **Samehada**- the name of the large sword that Kisame carries around with him.

**Please R&R!!! Thanks a bunch. **


	3. A Taste of Strange Determination

**Disclaimer: READ! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story; I write all the chapters on loose leaf paper during study hall at school, so don't look at me. I'm obviously not looking off anything during school, and then come home to type them. This chapter contains mature and possibly offending material for some people. Please, if you can't handle it, don't read it. **

**EDIT: 7/15/07 **

**A Taste of Strange Determination **

A buzzing noise, one so slight that it was barely audible, filled the air. It was like an invisible quivering motor somewhere in the gloom. There was a soft gasp somewhere, one of hurt and confusion.

Kakashi gazed out into his surroundings with unclear eyes. Blood was caked and crusted over his cheeks, and unfortunately, all over his body. It created and irritating and searing itch all over him. A humorous thought managed to sneak its way into his head. He seriously hadn't known when he was going to be clean again. He recalled how he had taken a shower before going on the mission just for that reason. To enjoy that last bit of comfort he was to have for a long time. The absurd recollection dissipated as quickly as it came.

He quickly reunited with his last memories while he had been conscious. He had been fighting the murderer of almost the entire Uchiha clan…Itachi. Kakashi's expression shadowed. He had lost miserably to him during the middle of the night. But how many night's ago?

He continued to mull over the past events, deciding that he must be either dead, or more likely captured. Where was he? In some sort of chamber? He really hoped it wasn't the first idea. Did you feel pain and depression in the afterlife? He still felt aware of his existence. But what use would Akatsuki have of bringing him here…keeping him alive? But his pondering was abruptly put to an end, for someone was entering.

The murky walls of the cell groaned with the sudden heave of air pressure towards the locked door in front of him. Slow monotonous footsteps approached him from behind the darkness. There was a quiet muffle of cloth sliding across the stone floor. Kakashi glanced into the pitch black abyss before him, wincing in agony.

What a hell he was in, like a dog, he was chained to the wall behind him. His wrists were cleverly shackled to the ceiling, his fingers bound outwards with dull metal prongs so that he wouldn't be able to move them without breaking his own bones. He couldn't for hand seals. His feet were anchored down with some strong threadlike material; he had discovered this by trying to lift his feet. Maybe it was just thread, and his body was still useless from the loss of energy and couldn't break it. It was hopeless for him to get away…for now. He groaned inwardly.

With his body in such a gruesome condition, the only thing he could do was wait and try and cling to life. Blood and sweat trickled down his forehead, seeping into the torn scraps of what were left of clothing, only to finally collect into the crimson pools that had begun to form below him.

A pale hand touched his shoulder causing him to flinch back in torture. Such an agonizing hell this was! A flickering notion raced across his psyche again. Escape…but this was impossible! He was still inwardly hoping to escape like this?! Was he an idiot?! He sunk lower into the pits of his doom. He didn't know the way out, or even where he was. The room he was in was probably filled with various traps alone, hidden in the dimness. He was also completely empty of all chakra, it seemed. The only light that came into his dark grave was from a minuscule hole above him, in which it angled out like a sun ray.

The mysterious hand tightened its grip, forcing the silver haired jounin to bend down into his crushed shoulder in an awkward manner. He managed to slowly trace the long fingers and up the arm as his eyes adjusted. He then came face to face with his captor. Kakashi's mismatched eyes now narrowed in anger at what he saw.

Not only had he been seriously injured, but his head protector had been sliced off, forcing him to try and keep his sharingun eye shut. It was just another setback to this situation. If he didn't close it, the last bit, if any, chakra that was left in him would be used up and he would be put into a state of shock, or quite possibly death. But this time, if only for a moment, he stared into the face of Uchiha Itachi with both eyes.

The eldest of what was left of the Uchiha clan, was in striking resemblance to his previous student Sasuke. They were brothers after all. Now, Itachi glared at him with an empty expression on his face. It was probably the same one he held when he followed through with his twisted, murderous intentions. His sharingun eyes were deactivated, one of the few occasions that he had seen them this way. It was to Kakashi's humiliation, that because of his weakened state, Itachi saw no meaning to activating them. As of now, Itachi had the upper hand. Again….

The black haired Uchiha now held the fine metal edge of a kunai to the leaf ninja's tender throat. His voice, like a vibrating purr, reached his throbbing eardrums.

"Liar, Kakashi." This brought a shade of puzzlement to the jounin's face. What the hell was Itachi talking about? Seeing this response, Itachi continued. "You said you came alone…you lied." Kakashi took a shuddering intake of musty air through his mask. His mask was, thankfully, still on and intact. But It was just now that Kakashi noticed the lush rivers of blood that shimmered down Itachi's hair and cheeks, twirling and branching down the white flesh of his neck. Kakashi felt pleased by this, he'd at least managed to do some damage to him…But he hadn't done all of it. Some of the cuts were unfamiliar.

A new revelation occurred to him, causing a fresh layer of sweat to consume his torn up skin. He must have found some of the ANBU…. This is what Itachi must be talking about. He hadn't lied though, he had indeed traveled alone and the ANBU had just been there in case he would have need of assistance. When he had taken part in the brawl with Itachi, he hadn't had time to call for help. But they must have known somehow and tracked him down apparently.

"It doesn't matter," Itachi growled after a few minutes, "They're finished."

Shivers rand down Kakashi's spine. Finished? How many members had Itachi encountered after he had blacked out? How pathetic he was, before his most powerful enemy, besides Orochimaru, he stood here, visibly shaking. Itachi could probably feel him trembling. Angrily he yanked at the shackles encasing his wrists. He didn't want this filth who called himself a shinobi touching him. This man went against all of his moral values.

Kakashi knew Itachi as a man who always knew what he wanted, and always got it in the end by unimaginable ways. Right now, Itachi wanted nothing more to have power over everything. That's why he joined Akatsuki and became an S ranked missing Nin. That's why he killed his family…to prove his power to everyone, because they were lower than him. That was why he was so keen on getting all the nine bijuu into his possession.

Naruto…. With almost everyone in Konoha out on missions, Naruto and the village wouldn't be very safe…if he wasn't there…something bad could happen.

"I can't stand Konoha, you or that odd, green beast." Kakashi assumed that he was referring to Gai. Itachi pushed the Kunai harder into his skin, creating a new slice of anguish that poured crimson life with unyielding force. He gasped, choking on his own blood. "I don't know why you even try Kakashi…"

"You were scared… Itachi-san. You were scared when I revealed my Mangekyou Sharingan to you." Kakashi was able to squeeze out those few words.

"You can't use it properly. You are not an Uchiha." His voice was restrained.

"But I can use it, nonetheless." Kakashi's tone was now icy. This made Itachi's eyes widen.

"That doesn't matter. You can't measure up to an Uchiha, no matter how hard you try. I don't see why you can't just give in to death."

"It's not my time to die."

"How would you ever know? My clan certainly did not expect it." The last few words contained a slight edge to them.

"I don't give up. I see you and your hatred. You and your pain. I know I've at least done something."

"Pain?" He blurted this in disgust. "I have no pain, Kakashi-san. You above anyone should know that." Kakashi shook his head in frustration.

"The things that make us human, never really change. You, Itachi-san, are still human in all aspects." This comment brought a blow to his stomach, reopening the gaping wound that was finally starting to scab over. The motions made him heave; spurting blood from his lungs. The crimson liquid seeped through the mask, down the corners of his mouth. He coughed.

Kakashi jerked his body, causing the kunai in Itachi's hand to go flying into the gloom of the small room. "Damn," he shook his head painfully to get some of the blood off his face.

"Shut up, Kakashi-san. You are in no condition to be talking like that." The leaf Nin's face lit up. Finally they were getting somewhere. Kakashi had stuck a nerve. Itachi's eyes were filled with a strange fury.

"You don't want to be human? Is that why you're trying to—?" He was cut off by Itachi's hand. It was covering his mouth behind the mask. Suddenly, he couldn't breath. His body twitched as it tried to knock the hand away. Kakashi let out angry yells, and they too were stifled. But then something happened, something that the jounin didn't see coming.

Kakashi's mask was pulled away, revealing his full face. His skin was cleaner here, only speckled by the blood that had recently dribbled out of his lungs. His yelling stopped immediately in shock as soft, cold lips pressed against his own. Again, both eyes were open wide, staring at the vast area behind Itachi's face. His body was completely still as Itachi pressed his body hard up against his. He grew tense and uncomfortable after the realization of what was happening fully processed. The Uchiha slightly deepened the kiss, spreading the blood on their cheeks and necks. Fresh blood that gushed from Kakashi's stomach wound was now glazed over the front of the dark Akatsuki uniform.

Before parting, the jounin felt a hand slowly run through his hair in a caressing motion. The air finally rushed back into his lungs, the oxygen fueling the intensity of the pain and confusion he was once again experiencing. He gasped quietly, staring wide eyed at the man in front of him. There was an odd look on his face, one that he'd never seen before. Itachi seemed to take in the full picture of Kakashi's stunned and unmasked face for a few moments, before slipping the mask back up on his face.

"Such a mystery…." Softly spoken, more to himself than anything else, were the last three words that came out of Itachi's mouth before he wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve, grabbed the kunai that was skewed onto the ground, and backed out into the shadows. There was finally a reassuring metallic click of a lock before Kakashi let himself breathe normally again.

**Please R&R, comment, criticize…something….**


	4. Clearing the Wounds

**Disclaimer: READ! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story. Again, this story contains guy x guy relationship thoughts and material. If you can't handle it, don't read it, don't flame it. **

**EDIT: 7/15/07 **

**Clearing the Wounds **

Kisame was leaning against the wall of the cave, just outside of the dungeons, his grey skin blending in with the stone behind him. He had been waiting for Itachi to finish up, using the time to carelessly swing his sword around him in horizontal arcs.

Steps finally echoed out from the prison entrance, revealing the dark form of Itachi. The grey skinned Akatsuki member looked up to him.

"Did you find out anything?" He hesitated, seeing the blood that layered his partner's cloak. "What happen--?" He was stopped in mid sentence by a cold glare.

"He's basically dead in there." Itachi leaned over to pick up a bundle of rags and bandages, tossing them to Kisame, who in return caught them in his hands. "Clean him up." He left without another word, leaving Hoshikagi to mumble in disbelief. He didn't want to wash, let alone have anything to do with that leaf Nin. He pushed his head upwards with repulsion before reluctantly walking into the various cells before him. He didn't want to do this, but Itachi would have his head on a plate if he didn't.

Kakashi jumped with a start as the lock to his door clicked again. Who was it? Itachi again? He quivered. The presence came closer; it wasn't Itachi. Kisame? The missing Mist Nin? Yes, it must be him, the grey pupils and large sword proved it. Sadly his vision was so blurry now; he could only make out blurs of shape and colors. His eyes were clouded with blood that he couldn't wipe off because his hands were bound.

Kisame was carrying a sack of rags and bandages in his arms with a look of utter hatred on his face. Obviously he didn't want to do it. Kakashi didn't care anymore and he let his head hang down. His hair dripped down across his face with blood and sweat.

It was so hot in here. The walls seemed to excrete the warmth from the surface of the sun. Even if it was dark, that didn't seem to matter down here. It was almost as if he was breathing in smoke, the unfiltered and stale air. His lungs labored with great effort. If his arms were held up any longer and his ragged breathing and pain kept up…what would happen? Would his lungs collapse? Would he bleed to death? It was so dark….

Stinging aches, an ice cold stick of metal on a burn. Kakashi flung his shoulder back and the chains that bound him sent cursing echoes into the shadows. He glimpsed angrily over to his left. Kisame had kicked a bucket of freezing water over to him and it had splashed over his cut up flesh. The water seeped into his wounds and scabs. His poor, fair, white skin covered and splattered in crimson. His eyes squeezed together, almost to the point of watering because of the throbbing.

Sloppily, Kisame took up a large rag and started scrubbing vigorously at the hardened blood on his arms with no mercy. The torn rags of his sleeves easily crumbled and flaked away. He scrubbed with an angry beat, not caring if the scabs he was carelessly rubbing off were still healing or not. This coated his skin with fresh, bright patches of red. Kakashi cursed and spat through the mask, yelling at the man.

Angrily, the Mist Nin literally spat in the jounin's face. The clump of saliva anchored itself over Kakashi's sharingan eye, which was fortunately, still closed. Trash, this man was trash…the thought filtered through Kakashi's mind. Surprisingly, the grey eyed man took up the rag again and started washing his skin again. He wasn't doing a good job though; the cream colored rag had already been soaked to its limit with blood. All he was doing now was smearing it around to the few places that it hadn't covered before.

The rag moved its way up to Kakashi's neck, also meaning that Kisame's head was now level with his gaze. Wrong move…. Cracking down, the leaf Nin managed to bang his cranium directly into the bridge of Kisame's nose. This caused the Akatsuki filth to stagger backwards. Kisame yelled some undistinguishable words in Kakashi's direction, his sharp teeth gnawing at the air, while throwing the rag at him. It hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He shrunk even closer to the ground, if that was possible. He was literally hanging by his arms now. Sadly, his legs had finally given out.

How much longer was his damn body going to last? Its stamina capable capacity was so immense that he wondered if he was going to loose it mentally before his body did give out. His flesh...still intact, his body, alive, but his mind --dead, lying inside himself.

The red juices of the rag splattered all around him, sending blood everywhere like slow moving crimson rain. It flecked his figure with red. But the rag only dropped harmlessly to the ground. When he looked back up, Kisame had already marched out of the cell, huffing in anger, trying to hold himself back from chopping the head clean off of him. Kakashi involuntarily blacked out from the impact of the rag and became limp with sleep.

The Mist Nin stomped down the various hallways, past all the rooms with locked doors. No sounds came from any of them. It was so silent in the lair that you could hear the blood rushing in one's ears, and Kisame's blood was boiling, like a raging river. His cloak fluttered behind him. He needed to kill something.

A hand shot out from behind a corner. It grabbed at the cloth around Kisame's neck, pulling him around ninety degrees so that he was a few inches away from Itachi's face.

"Why aren't you cleaning up Kakashi?" His voice was slightly frustrated, but still a monotone rumble.

"That bastard… don't ask." Kisame's eyes showed his resistant rage. "He knocked heads with me when I was trying to wash his disgusting body." He yanked Itachi's hand from him. "I'm not going to do it, even if it's an order from you. Kakashi makes my blood boil. He should rot in damned Hell." He started walking past the now silent Uchiha. "Excuse me."

Itachi watched as Kisame disappeared behind another corner behind him without protest. Thoughts ran across his mind. Wasn't that it? Kakashi made his own blood boil. Was that it? It was impressive that the leaf nin could be on the edge of consciousness, but still put up a fight. That feeling, pure determination…It did something to him…but Itachi couldn't put it into words…. Was that why…?

A few moments later, Itachi was once again back inside the cell, staring at the unmoving form that was trapped to both the ceiling and the floor. He stepped closer, frantic thoughts trying to push their way into the front of his mind. Itachi's face remained the same. No matter how many times that he had wanted to kill this man, each time something pulled him back, even if it was something unintentional like a dramatic decrease in his chakra.

He had done the same to Sasuke, but that was only because he wasn't worth killing yet. Did he keep Kakashi for the same reason? Maybe Kakashi would be the end of his tortured, power hungry existence? No…even Kakashi couldn't do that. That was why he needed Naruto. The Nine-tails. Kakashi was the link to getting the Nine-tails. But was that the only reason?

Inside, Itachi new that he could handle the jounin, but it had been a great amount of trouble in finally getting him to collapse. He was just too stubborn and determined, but on the other hand, full of weaknesses. Konoha was too soft a village. Itachi was now standing in front of the silver haired man, watching his chest exhale with each weak and shallow breath. It wasn't pity that he felt for him. He was above pity. It was something else. He remembered what Kakashi had said to him.

"_The things that make us human, never really change…." _

His eyes narrowed into a scowl. He looked down at the bucket at his feet, its scarlet water harmlessly sloshing inside its walls. Carefully, he picked up a fresh rag and gently started scrubbing the crusted blood on his enemy's skin, eyeing all the tender areas in his bruised flesh and avoiding all still healing areas.

Itachi worked for hours, wiping away any trace of dirt or sweat that appeared on Kakashi's white skin. His hands trailed down to his chest, knocking away the remains of his olive green vest and the clothes underneath. Bare skin touched bare skin as he labored. Unknowingly, a few beads of sweat started breaking out along the missing Nin's forehead as he traveled further down to the silver haired man's muscled abdomen.

He tried to push his mind away from what he was doing, watching his purple nails inch closer and closer….he stopped himself. He wanted to…he couldn't believe himself. Why was he feeling this way? It was such a mystery, that Kakashi could make him act like this. He stared up at the sleeping jounin's face. Kakashi's eyes were twitching. What could he be dreaming about in such a state?

He squinted as he saw a smudge on his left eye and quickly moved to wipe it away. He continued to clear away the grime on his face, returning the pale fleshy glow to his skin. Without thinking, he traced a finger along Kakashi's cheek, on the lining of his jaw, down to his neck. His breath was caught in his throat. He hadn't removed his mask yet…. Slowly, he pulled it away, and took in the image once again. Another wave of heat surged through his body. He tensed up but managed to clean the rest of his face before reluctantly lifting it back up into its rightful position. He fought the urge to plant another kiss on his cold lips….

Slowly, almost regretfully, he wiped his forehead and squatted down; his face and neck flushed a slightly red color as he continued to wash his legs. The cloth here also seemed to disintegrate. He gathered the tattered threads into a small pile beside the bucket. He pressed his mind to more pressing matters.

He hardly remembered the details of the fight; he himself had had to spend a day or so recovering. It had only occurred a short three days ago. It seemed like weeks. He must have gone well over his limit. He stared back up at Kakashi's sharingan. How did he manage to complete the Sharingan? The Mangekyou? This guy really was interesting….

He continued to scrub at his ankles and knees, again working his way up. This was out of character for him; he normally wouldn't care for an enemy like this, especially not one as powerful as Kakashi. But then again, he was the only one here that would do it. The rest of the Akatsuki were most likely fooling around in other countries while capturing their assigned Bijuu.

The jounin continued to doze; unaware of anything that was going on around him, lost in the land of unreality.


	5. A Dream of Destruction

**A Dream of Destruction Disclaimer: READ! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story. Again, this story contains guy x guy relationships, thoughts, and material. This chapter contains some MATURE CONTENT. If you can't handle it, don't read it, don't flame it. **

**EDIT: 7/15/07**

**A Dream of Destruction **

Someone was calling Kakashi's name with a pulsing drone of helpless repetition as he darted around in the coiling folds of the alleyways. It was black again, like the place that he'd been in prior to this. What had it been…a room? It was too unclear. But he was no longer there, so that didn't have any meaning anymore. This place…it resembled his home, Konoha of the hidden Leaf with striking irony. But was it really Konoha? Surely it wasn't. All of the colors were absent from the greens of the grass and trees, the whites and yellow missing from the walls, the blue and reds faded on the roofs. It was a colorless world, filled with dark smoke and fog.

He looked frantically around, trying to pick his way through all of the fire-lit rubble and debris. It all looked the same, no mater which way he went. There were people crying in misery and distress all around him, scattering and shoving into him. What had happened to bring Konoha's thriving peace to such destruction? If this even was Konoha…. It made him weep inside. He turned his head at a hollow, screeching voice. His name again?

"What? I'm here! I'm coming! Just keep calling out my name!" He searched desperately for the source, each time coming up empty handed. The calling had grown more frantic as the minutes passed by. His grey surroundings were suddenly twisting and turning and he had to stop for a moment. The smoke and commotion was making him sick and dizzy. There was a crippling sting inside his chest as he fought the urge to cough.

He failed and ended up hacking up large puddle of blood. It rained down into the ashes in sticky streams. Kakashi wheezed in a gust of oxygen. Glancing down at his body, he found numerous gashes and deep wounds quickly forming all over his body. They didn't hurt at first, but caused a quaking tremble to weave itself into his bones. An invisible enemy? No….There was nothing there. What was this place? He screamed out once again, both in burning pain and concern. "I'm here! Please…" He coughed. "Please… keep yelling!"

There was an unexpected and agonizing reply from inside a half burned down dwelling behind him. Every single one of its walls were engulfed in hungry flames that reached well up over its hole filled roof. His eyes widened, making him want to halt in fear, but he didn't even hesitate for an instant. Jumping straight into the flames, he tumbled onto the half caved in, wooden floor beyond the doorway. He was moving in choppy motions, like being on rewind and fast forward at the same moment. Audibly cursing his way through the halls and rooms, he continued calling out. He was going to help whoever was crying for rescue. He had to….

The fire flicked out its snake like tongues, gracing his flesh with their presence. They were scorching and burning him alive. His body felt so tired…he let out a few smoky tears as his eyes fluttered with an irritating dryness. He leaned against a door frame, struggling for fresh air, hacking and coughing. Blood dripped from his body, boiling and sizzling as it fell into the blaze. He had to make it. He wasn't going to die like this.

The voice called out again from behind a pile of crumbled ceiling. A few chunks of tile fell down on him as he walked over, forcing him to back up again. As soon as the dust cloud settled again, he blindly peered behind the heap. The crying suddenly stopped. The shock on his face now was obvious.

There was absolutely no one behind that pile of crumbled ceiling. He looked carefully for any signs of life. There wasn't even a body to be seen. How…? No one? He backed up and tried to find a route out of the house. Had he imagined the calls for help?

The silence now seemed as deadly as the flames. He wasn't going to die like this.

There really was no one inside that house; the cries didn't start up again. Was it all in his head? It couldn't be possible; they were so real…as real as the shouts of the people that had passed him on the remains of the street outside. Those had to be real. He had seen them. Once again he doubled over in a serious of threatening coughs. He was still stuck in the damned house and it was as if the smoke was liquefying in his lungs. He cried out as he urgently looked for a way out. There were no windows to break out of, no doorways….no doorways? He was now in a room with no way out. Just…walls? How could that be? He had come in through a door. He repeated to himself…_I'm not going to die like this_. But what the hell was going on?

His flesh burned as the smoke zapped away his life supporting oxygen. The supply grew smaller and smaller. A cloud of dust rose around his watering eyes, so thick that it entered his nose and mouth through his mask. Eyes watering and almost blind, he sank down into the floor, hands clawing at his face trying to get rid of the feeling in his throat. He gagged and vomited out more blood…this time it was more watered down. Eventually, all he coughed up was water. His lungs had become clear, quite shockingly. It had grown dark, and now he was lying on the floor behind the pile that he had found, belly side up. He stared up at the fire that crawled its way through the ceiling, blackening it with its furious anger.

There was a whisper in his ear. He propped himself up again slightly. What? Had the person come back? He looked around and at first saw nothing. The flames waved and danced a few feet away, slowly creeping towards him. He dry gagged a few times. He wasn't going to die like this…. There had to be someone else here…he couldn't even get is vocal chords to function anymore. His lungs were completely filled with smoke and he kept trying to cough it back up, only to choke and breathe in more.

There was another whisper, repeating in that same fearful and sad tone. It was slow at first but the speed in which it was said quickened into a torturous and horrifying scream that pounded the words so fast that he could not understand them.

"Help me…. Help me…Help me! HELP ME!"

The last one made him jump. The hideous screams were so close, as if he was screaming the words himself. They sickened him down to his gut. The shouts were filled with agony and nothingness, as if the source was being…burned alive. He squinted through a thick film of tears. There were dark figures outlined in the smoke... he couldn't tell how many…. Each one was menacing and tall, but they seemed to blur into each other, creating one big massive shape. He was going crazy. There was smaller figure in front of him, hunched over to the ground on his knees. Its neck hung down uselessly as the figure swirled its smoky face in his direction.

"Help me…." It was coming from that…thing. The other unknown outlines remained silent, watching, listening…. The features on the smoke person became more distinct. Two pairs of mismatched eyes stared back into each other. It was…him? That thing in front of him was…Kakashi. Himself. Tortured and beaten to the point of mortifying shame. Guilt filled. Bleeding. Screaming. Dying.

He opened his eyes quickly and took in a shuddering and frozen breath of air. His pupils immediately began throbbing and searing in pain as they stared directly into a blinding light on the ceiling above him. Had that all been a dream? Most likely. But it was the contents of the dream the confused him. Horrified him. Made him sick. The events had seamed realistic, probable…imminent perhaps….

He tried to move his legs to see if he was still alive. They didn't budge. He tried his arms, fingers; everything. They all brought the same result. They were solid stiff. Was he in sleep paralysis (1)? No…he could open his eyes. He just couldn't move. At least he hadn't forgotten anything.

Trying to suppress his panic at the sudden awareness of his vulnerability, he took the time to get a better look at the surroundings in front of him and to his right. His body was covered with white gauze bandages. Covered completely from head to toe was an understatement. He was lying in a bed, which was located in a room with grey stone walls. The light above him was one of three that hung loosely from a giant crack down the middle of the ceiling. Again he tried to pull himself up but this only brought a grunt of pain from his lips. There was a terrible shuddering that spread out like a tremor to his finger tips and thighs. So weak…. His heart dropped.

Now he turned his face to the left, only to shrink back in alarm. He, at least, could do that. The action was more involuntary than anything else. It was Itachi who stood beside him now, a jug of water in his hands. At least he wasn't waking up to himself. He really might have lost his mind then. Memories shot through his brain as soon as it all registered. That unforeseen kiss…. He shook the image away in his head. Maybe that had been a dream as well.

It was only now that he could feel how soaked his sheets were. They were stained with splashes of watery blood. His mask was off again. Not again…. The whole point of his mask was so he could remain unidentified by his enemies…. It was a breech into his personal space. The black cloth was crumbled into a ball beside his head, only inches away…. If only he could move his arm a little bit….

But there was no point now was there? Itachi had already seen him without his mask.

He studied the situation. Itachi had been trying to make him drink? How long had he been out? He recalled that he had been choking up a mixture of watery blood in his dream. That had been real at least. He must've been coughing up bloody water in the real world as well. His tongue rubbed against the roof of his mouth. It was dry and his throat was filled with a raw, scratchy ache.

Why was Itachi here? The last thing he had remembered was Kisame strutting angrily out of the endless gloom of his prison. His eyes darted back and forth between Itachi and the water jug with a thirsty gaze.

Noticing this, the Uchiha briskly stepped forward, tilting the jug so that the water sloshed out into Kakashi's mouth. He coughed as the water drained down his tortured throat. At first his swallows were labored, but quickly sped up and soon he was totally consumed with the refreshing feel of the icy water in his stomach. After a few seconds of thirsting chugs, he knocked the jug away with a nudge of his jaw. By now he was slightly propped up, his back leaning against the pillows behind him. His eyes had met with Itachi's for a split second sometime in the middle of his swallows. It was the somewhat curious expression that was carved into Itachi's features that had been what made him stop drinking. He sank into the bed; a rush of pink embarrassment washing through his pale cheeks. He had been forced to be deeply dependent on the one man he hated the most. He had taken the water like a hungry baby bird at meal time. Hunger…his stomach rumbled.

Itachi had been watching with a peculiar look on his face as Kakashi thirstily drank the water. Now that he was conscious, he was able to swallow. It was interesting to watch how it took him so much effort to swallow without coughing the water back up again. A smirk fought its way to the corners of his mouth. Luckily it didn't show. His skin remained unmoving. A distinct hunger growl reached his ears. He looked at the unmasked face of his prisoner from behind his black bangs.

Kakashi was only able to make slight movements in his body, wiggling or shifting his position. An even harsher discovery came to bite him in the ass. His body was encased in bandages, and bandages alone. His clothes…or rags more precisely…were gone. If you looked at it this way…he was completely naked under these sheets. If Kisame hadn't bandaged him, then…. His face broke out in a cold sweat and he made himself look downwards. He didn't want to think about it. His stomach seemed to have left him.

A spicy aroma filled the space under his nose as he was now staring into a plate full of food. Food! He hadn't eaten for a long time. But…how inconvenient it was to have food brought to you, and you couldn't even eat it yourself. He thought about this and sank even lower in his humiliation. Itachi was going to have to feed him…. He shuddered in the thought. One thing after another….at least he wasn't hanging from those damnable shackles anymore. They had been cutting deeper into the flesh of his wrists as the hours went by. They stung in recognition as he thought about it. He bit his lip.

Itachi automatically shoved clumps of sticky rice into his mouth with a pair of black chopsticks. He did so without question, lifting the awkward setting for the time being. Obediently, the leaf Nin chewed and swallowed it. It wasn't exactly the best tasting of foods, he noted, but it was something that would allow his strength to return to him, besides, the hot spices covered up the lack of taste. Some broiled saury with salt, miso soup and eggplant would have been nice…. He added this with a bit a humor. Humor again at a time like this? He didn't understand himself sometimes. He continued chewing the various contents of the plates as Itachi continued to hand feed him. The situations he found himself in just seemed to get worse and worse didn't they….

The plate was empty now, but the hallow hunger of his body made him gag and throw some of it back up over the side of the bed. His stomach had been purged of nutrients for so long; it couldn't handle all of the rich cooking. He was so strained that he couldn't keep all of it down. He sighed as his eyes drooped heavily.

Itachi was still in the room. Lovely.

He was somewhere between sleep and awareness when another figure moved in to change the sheets and wipe off his face. He didn't recognize the person. Their face was…was it even a face? It was one big swirl…. He decided he didn't care. His eyeseight wasn't the best at the moment anyways.

But had he lowered himself this much? He didn't like being this dependent on others for such simple things, and all the more reason, dependent on Itachi, his village's traitor and enemy. His pride dived downwards with a subtle depression. He supposed that he would go through anything to recover and escape from this place, even this disgrace. But would Akatsuki let him recover to his full strength? Or were they going to kill him in a fair fight once he finally did?

The swirl headed figure left the room without a single word, leaving him alone with Itachi again. What did it matter? He couldn't do anything about it. His eyes narrowed sleepily in Itachi's direction but he wasn't there anymore. What? He turned his head to the right.

The Uchiha had suddenly switched sides on him. But now, Itachi was leaning over the bed, almost face to face with him. Itachi's face was lightly covered in a thin pink shade. The only thing Kakashi could clearly make out were a pair of red eyes. Why had he activated the Sharingan? Both of Kakashi's eyes were now open.

He could feel the hot moisture of Itachi's breath on his neck. And once again, the same as before, a soft, but hungry mouth met his. A slender tongue entered his mouth as he gasped in surprise. All sense of exhaustion left his body as the kiss deepened. He was shocked. Why was he…? The silver haired jounin just remained tense at first, trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, he tried to push him away, but there was a strict limit to his mobility. He couldn't get him off. He wiggled and squirmed beneath the hardened body above him. It wasn't working. He let out a small grunt in protest. Didn't Itachi notice how he was struggling? He didn't want this, not from him.

Itachi didn't really know what he was doing. One minute he had been watching Kakashi start to blush, deep in his thoughts. The next, his lower abdomen was aching slightly, and he was coated with small beads of sweat. Just the image of seeing his poor hostage blushing…and about what, he had little idea…. But he had suddenly wanted to be near him…touching him.

Itachi had been fighting the same urge for a while, and was battling with himself even then. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he was going to do it, no matter how hard he resisted. He had never felt this way before, with anyone. What was it? The next few seconds were blacked out.

Seconds later he found himself pressing hard with want against Kakashi's body. He felt the few vibrations of protest coming from the form beneath him, but it only made him want more.

NO, no, no!

He couldn't be doing this! Not with Kakashi! He detested this jounin from Konoha. He wanted him dead along with everyone else! His body resisted him. The muscles and tendons in his stomach tightened with an unknown rush of adrenaline. There was a pleasant flutter that spread through him.

God, how Kakashi excited him! It was almost ridiculous. Inside, he wanted the jounin to feel the same, no matter how much he resisted. Itachi's consciousness continued to ridicule and pull him back. Want and need mixed itself together and teased his conscious.

Despite what Itachi had in mind, Kakashi's mind was reeling with frustration and confusion. Sweat had broken across his own forehead and neck as Itachi removed his lips to replant them on the jaw-line next to his ear. His heart started racing. No, this couldn't be happening! He struggled harder, pushing himself to his limits once again. He felt a strange flutter in his stomach. Itachi was trailing his fingers seductively down his body…. _Oh god_….

The Uchiha let his hands hungrily wander down Kakashi's toned and masculine figure. His fingers grazed tenderly along his chest, his stomach, down to his inner legs.

Why was Itachi doing this to him? The Uchiha thought to himself and didn't know, but he liked it. He liked it a lot…. Itachi trailed his tongue down Kakashi's neck, sucking somewhat passionately at his skin. The jounin's neck was one of the few places that had no bandages covering it. It was the same spot that Itachi had cut Kakashi with his kunai back in the cell. It had already healed and only a faint scar remained. Itachi concentrated on this area, as he felt the thumping of the jounin's heart noticeably speed up. Kakashi's body was almost as hard and as tense as his own now. It was working? So fast? He pressed himself closer. Good….

Kakashi knew this was wrong, this shouldn't be happening. He felt his body grow hard against all his objections. His body was betraying him in every possible way. He...liked this? No, absolutely not! He couldn't….not when Itachi was doing it. Itachi was touching him. A quiet moan escaped his now freed lips. _Crap_! He'd said Itachi's name without meaning to. He'd spoken his thoughts. How could he have let himself do that? He reluctantly moaned again. _God!_

Itachi had been roaming the bare skin of Kakashi's neck randomly planting his mouth down until he heard a distinct moan escape the silver haired man's lips. He smirked against his skin. He'd said his name. He deepened his kisses in that area. This brought another breathy moan, louder this time, but he could hear resistance. Finally… he had found a perfect spot. On the scar…he put that to memory. The scar on his neck was his most sensitive spot.

In a way, Itachi new what he was doing, his body did that is. His mind was almost watching from the distance, observing….learning. The Uchiha just couldn't believe that he was actually doing this…touching this hot, fair skin with some kind of strange passion, feeling the smooth glass texture of it…. He would never understand his vicious and greedy impulses. Instinct seemed to rule over him. Always.

Kisame had said that Kakashi made his blood boil. God how he could really make it boil. Kakashi made Itachi's blood boil. But that was why he felt this way. That was why he was doing this. He enjoyed the resistance…the pressure, the power over him…. It had caused such a change in him that the Sharingan had activated all on its own….

Finally Itachi's mind took over the control of his wolf-like wants. He broke away from Kakashi with effort, panting, noticing his own aching erection. He was directly on top of the Jounin, who looked just as breathless and surprised as he, himself, felt. Their wide eyes met for a moment before Itachi tore away from him in a flash, darting out of the room and locking the door behind him.

1.) **Sleep paralysis**- Sleep paralysis consists of a period of inability to perform voluntary movements either at sleep or upon awakening. You are aware that you are done sleeping, but you can't open your eyes or move. (I've experience this a couple of times, and it's a very scary feeling. (shudders))

**Thanks for all that left the positive reviews for me! I'm glad that you like the story so far. They all made my day lol. Now I'm a little surer of myself and this story than I was before. I apologize for any confusion, grammar mistakes or any somewhat choppy scenes. Don't forget to R&R!! **


	6. Waking in the Cold

**Disclaimer: READ! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story. Again, this story contains guy x guy relationship thoughts and material. Please R&R! **

**EDIT: 7/15/07**

**Waking in the Cold **

Itachi had raced out of Kakashi's room with a heavily pounding heart, leaving the jounin to himself once again. Gasping and still hard, Itachi put his back to the door, eyes cold with a hating, lusting, want. What had he just done? He gazed down at his hands, the same hands that had slid down Kakashi's body, the body that made his very flesh smolder with pleasure. Well, why did he just ask himself that stupid question? Itachi knew all too well what he had been doing. His pale face was unmoving and veiled behind the shadow of his cloak. The sharingan deactivated, leaving him in an empty void.

Never did Itachi think that this was going to happen. He hated everything. He didn't know how to like anything. His clan had used him as a tool, a bargaining chip in bets, and a trump card. He was more than just a subject to brag about. And that was his family who had done that. Someone like Kakashi, his enemy, was surely not something to be liked either. He focused on his anger for a while.

Itachi's mind cascaded into his troubling thoughts. He realized in irrevocable desperation that he wanted every part of Kakashi, even if it was betrayal against his own morals, his own way of life. Greedy or not; he needed that silver hair, those mismatched eyes, that sweet tasting skin, everything…. All of Kakashi's restricted power and humiliating fate made it all the more captivating…. There was another flutter in his stomach. He cursed it. Itachi craved the power that he had just had over Kakashi a few moments ago. It was an exhilarating influence. He lived for it.

He'd loose himself in those lips again if he got to close. Even if it did go against his every craving instinct, he had to be careful. That was his only weakness now. Damn Kakashi…. How could someone ever make him act like this? So apprehensive at the loss of self control…. Itachi closed his eyes, letting his head rest against his prisoner's door, before finally retreating down the rest of the corridor.

For nearly ten long minutes, the leaf Nin had been staring wide eyed at the space between him and the locked door. Eventually, as his body's activities calmed, his expression grew blank. His fists were still clenched tight as all of the images of what had happened cycled through his brain. He couldn't stop them.

There were few emotions that he could pick out of himself. Puzzlement? Curiousness? Awe? He ran a hand through his damp hair. Itachi…had touched this hair. Itachi had…touched him…again, in a way that no one had before. His fair cheeks unavoidably clouded over with a pink glow. He felt his skin heat up again and he sank miserably beneath the sheets of the bed. Why did he feel this way? Why did he keep thinking about it? Should he be disgusted? Ashamed?

Itachi had created an embarrassing uneasiness within him. Kakashi was angry that someone would ever do that to him, take advantage like that. Violated…. But on a different and guilty note, he was somewhat curious as to what brought this all on. Was he trying to manipulate him? Ridicule and mess with his mind? Damn Itachi….

This place was Kakashi's nightmare beyond nightmares. He wasn't even dead. He needed to get back to Konoha, to see if everyone was still safe. How many ANBU had been killed? Were they searching for him? He obviously found Akatuski's lair. But because of that, there was almost no chance that anyone was ever going to find _him_. He had a feeling that Itachi wouldn't let him go back home that easily.

If he wanted to be saved, he would have to rescue himself, and find his way back home. Finding the way back wasn't really the problem, he could track his old path easily. The thing was that he was surrounded by the enemy, and not just some regular shinobi. These were the elite, S-ranked, dangerous criminals. And he was also wounded beyond compare. He didn't want to be too late to help save the village…. The dream he'd had, he would make sure that it would never come true. Konoha would never fall.

Exhaustion overwhelmed him once again, bringing back more of his pain filled realities. His wounds itched and stung with the signs of healing. His head ached and all of his limbs seemed to be nonexistent and numb. The food hadn't had anything in it, poison wise or medicine wise. It was his own body trying to tell him that it needed to repair itself. He was scared to sleep though. He wasn't afraid of many things, but sleeping oddly was one of them now. Once he went to sleep, he would be knocked out cold. He'd be even more vulnerable. What else would Itachi do?

But he had to sleep.

His lone dark eye slammed downwards, but he was already gone before they did. His soul seemed to go into hibernation, a minor coma, while his body remained empty, grounded on earth. Maybe it was dying, maybe it was healing. He didn't quite know.

Four days had passed before he even twitched his fingers. For a long time, his mind was wandering on the brink of nothingness, flickering back and forth between his recollections and of the past. He wanted to forget everything. It was just the thought of not having to bear the burden of the deaths of all the ones he loved. Was he, himself, dead too? It had been such a long time since he'd seen any light. Nothing interesting had happened in his dreams.

But bf he just lay here, it would end up wasting time.

He couldn't just give up. He was healing. He wasn't dead in the least. He had to wake up. But he was so tired….

A finger on his right hand twitched, curling inwards.

'_Wake up_!' Kakashi yelled these words at himself. No matter how bad things got, he needed to face them. Even if he didn't quite understand what some things meant. Itachi… yes, he'd even go back after what happened with Itachi. He'd felt guilt and shame before. And by now, he might even be able to move, even if it was just a little. He heaved chakra through his limbs, trying to make them wake up from their frozen sleep.

His eyelids twitched and shot open.

It was still dark when he looked around. Was he still sleeping? His breathing quickened from it's resting pace. He began to think that he hadn't been able to pull himself from the realm dreams after all. But no…the lights were just off. It was still the same room. He lay in the bed, still half asleep, but visibly relieved that he had managed to wake himself up. The aches and pains in his body were minor, but he hadn't tried moving anything but his eyes yet. The thought struck him. Could he move?

He tried to lift his feet. Distorting throbs shot up his shins, but they moved, the sheets rising with them. He tried his arms. They too, moved, but with searing pain. He smiled. Finally he was getting somewhere again. He'd been out for a long time, but he wasn't sure for how long. He had no sense of time or being. At least he was alive. At least he was awake.

The jounin inspected his bandages. To his discovery, nearly half of them were gone. The only wounds that remained, apparently, were the gash in his stomach, a few deep cuts in each of his legs, and a nick on his shoulder. The rest of him was just as it was before. Someone had given him pants, another relief. They were black, somewhat like he had worn before. He sighed. He wasn't so vulnerable now.

His stomach grumbled acidly. He'd need to eat soon too.

He scanned the rest of the room and the door. Where exactly could everyone be? Slowly he sat up, wincing occasionally. It was difficult, but he was able to push the white covers away, and swing his legs over to the sides. There was now one more step left in the operation. He was awake, he could move. But could he walk?

Kakashi griped tightly to the side of the mattress to balance himself as the tips of his bare feet touched the ground. He pulled back in shock. It was ice cold. The air was cold…. He noticed now that he could see his breath in the air. He needed to get his blood moving again.

He lowered his feet to give it another try. Gasping, he bit his tongue to keep from yelling out. There was a frothy mix of pain inside him, both from the sudden strain on his muscles and the cold. This was nothing…. He took a step, wobbling and slow. It took him five minutes just to scuttle across the floor, holding onto the wall for support. He was so weak! How was he ever going to get away? How was he ever going to keep Itachi from…? His head whirled at the thought. Not even awake for ten minutes and already he was thinking about what had happened before he blacked out. The nerve.

He prayed that Itachi wasn't in the lair. The last thing he wanted was to run into him again. Or anyone for that matter.

The bronze door handle was now inside his palm. He turned it, hope filling his eyes. His wrist popped and the door handle lodged itself. Locked!? He cursed the luck. Damn Itachi and his precautions. Why did that man have to keep him locked up if he couldn't even walk properly! He was already at the pitfall of exhaustion. The energy it had taken him to get this far was almost completely drained. Anger and frustration filled him.

Shaking the door handle with his fresh angry strength, it suddenly clicked, flying outwards with a resounding creak. It wasn't locked? His eyes displayed shock. He peered out into the hallway, noticing that it was also dark. It must have been late then…. He stumbled forwards, out into the empty space.

The air out here was even colder. It sent a troop of goose bumps up his exposed skin. Kakashi struggled towards the far wall, slightly bent over with pain and effort. He needed to get some exercise. Sleeping in bed all the time was doing absolutely no good for his body, He'd healed plenty already…well at least he wanted to think so. His old thoughts retraced their way back to him. Would Akatsuki let him fully recover? He was closer to that than he was before. Every second that went by, brought him closer to his worries of the reality he was stuck in.

He had walked nearly the whole length of the hallway, now rounding the first corner. Everything was silent. There was not even a creak or gust of air to be heard. He was breathing heavily now. It hurt physically. But it hurt more emotionally than anything else. It was the fact that this simple action put so much strain on his body. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. But at least he could move. Not like before, like when he wasn't even able to turn his head away from Itachi's kiss….

Kakashi's face contorted in dismay. He put a hand to his lips. He could feel it again. The air suddenly seemed to feel nice. His cheeks were hot. The flutter sensation in his stomach was unmistakable. He was…blushing. Damn Itachi.

Kakashi looked behind him but nothing was there. He looked into the gloom before him. His face was still tinted, with no mask to hide it. There were eyes on him, he could suddenly feel them. He strained his eyes a bit. There! There was an outline...unmistakable now. It was advancing slowly. The jounin's sore muscles clenched.

The familiar uniform met his gaze in the shadows. There was no doubt. Itachi…. Kakashi backed up a little, not sure what to do. He hadn't seen him in a while. His own eyes instinctively flicked down to Itachi's feet, but sensing no immediate danger, moved his eyes upwards, lingering unavoidably on his lips, then finally his darkened eyes. Could Itachi see his expression in the dark? Then his eyes went wide with fear.

What had he just done! He had just stared down every part of Itachi's body…. His heart skipped a beat. Had he noticed that? He hadn't meant to do that…had he? A few curious wonders entered his mind. What would it mean if he had…? But he was just being cautious! He wasn't really looking…. Damn. He _had_ looked.

**I have re-edited the rewritten chapter lol. Was it any better?**


	7. Crash and Burn

**Disclaimer: READ! I do _not_ own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story. Again, this story contains guy x guy relationship thoughts and material. This chapter contains MATURE CONTNENT!! If you can't handle it, don't read it, don't flame it. Please R&R! **

**EDIT: 7/16/07 **

**Crash and Burn **

Itachi had been childishly pacing around the passageways of the lair for the better part of the day. Kisame had preoccupied himself with meaningless target practice near the edge of the Sand village for the past week in order to get off from changing Kakashi's bandages. This left the Uchiha rather restless.

Throughout the past two weeks, he'd been looking in on the sleeping form of Kakashi, watching his chest rise and fall with each breath. Itachi kept the lights dim, so that the jounin would be able to sleep better. Every evening, including this one, he'd change out Kakashi's bandages, seeing more and more progress to his healing. This made him…what was this feeling, pleased? Satisfied? But why did he care?

Was it only Kakashi's touch that Itachi craved for, or was it the actual person he wanted, or both? He remembered the original reason he was doing this for but found that his stomach was lit again, aching with a want beyond compare. He'd been restraining himself, to let Kakashi rest in peace. But he couldn't take the wait any longer. One thing was for certain and this was it. Itachi wanted Kakashi more than anything at the moment. He needed to feel the soft, warm skin touching his own. He'd already changed his bandages today, which he took up immediately. But his contact with Itachi was restricted to only that time period.

Any extra time with the leaf Nin and the others might begin to suspect something. Kisame had already had at least three rash encounters with the jounin that he'd known about, whether it was skipping out on his care duties, or ripping up Kakashi's half healed wounds. Each time had brought forth a nasty rage from inside of him, forcing his partner to scamper off with black flames all over him. The idiot. Altogether, Itachi hadn't been acting himself now that he'd discovered his strange new feelings. And with Kakashi so close…. There was another wave of pleasure that spread into him.

His black eyes scanned the corners of the hallway. Something was there. He quickened his steps. Kakashi's door was only two corners away. He rounded the first. It couldn't be… he was bound to be asleep for at least another week or so. But no one else was here, he was sure of it. Itachi's intake of air was steady and slow. Was it…Kakashi? A hopeful desire filled him. No…it was too soon, wasn't it?

Itachi locked his face into one expression before moving any further. There was an unmistakable figure, pressed up against the right wall. It looked to be in pain. So it was him…. A smirk threatened to edge its way across his lips. How he suffered…it was insanely appealing. The way his back arched…the stray spikes of glinting, silver hair that hung in front of his eyes…. He could see only this much in the shadows. There was an unmistakable flush in his cheeks. Everything about him…it was so attractive. He couldn't hold himself back. It was almost too good to be true.

Finally, he could see his new prize up and moving, aware of what was going on. He'd be able to react to his touches now. The thought aroused him to no end.

He was going to have him. It was part of the plan wasn't it?

Kakashi was now a few inches from him, so he forced himself to stop there. His figure was tense under the Akatsuki cloak. After all this time, he could now see the jounin's eyes, open and wide with all of his emotions etched into them. A perfect position…. He could easily slip his arms around his waist…. No! He wasn't going to give in. Even for the sake of the plan, Itachi new that he needed to take this slower…Why did he want to carry it out so much? Why did he crave for Kakashi like this!

Itachi had been reluctant to go on this mission before…but now that he had Kakashi in his power….

Kakashi's bent figure shied backwards a few steps, looking up at Itachi with an odd expression. Fear? There was some fear of course, but something else…. His eyes widened as he caught the upswing of the silver head, watching it slowly linger on him until their eyes met. Was Kakashi checking him out? He knew what the look was on Kakashi's unmasked face now. He was curious…. He sensed a few pleasure shivers trailed down his sides.

He stepped closer again, almost touching him. It was unbearable. He wasn't going to be able to control himself much longer. Then something unheard of happened…

Kakashi had felt the heat of Itachi's form near him. He was so cold. If he was touching Itachi, maybe it might save him the misery of freezing to death. Death…Kakashi couldn't even joke about that now. If he fell forward, maybe his captor would save him from the fall. But this was Itachi…most likely he would just let him fall to the ground. Maybe the fall would crush his neck and he wouldn't have to ponder it any longer.

The warmth emitting from him was unbearable. Something told him that it wouldn't be so bad…. The pink in Kakashi's cheeks grew darker. He'd do it, for the sake of the warmth.

Slowly and carefully, he pushed off from the wall, his feet numb from the bitter stone floor. He fell slightly into Itachi's open chest and instinctively wrapped his arms around it. It had been a successful transfer of supports, and so he clung to his body, shivering and taking in some of his body heat. He closed his eyes, his face buried in the nook of Itachi's shoulder; _god this was humiliating_….

Kakashi latched onto him tight, in fear of being cast away and thrown back onto the cold floor. The warmth felt so nice…he hoped the Uchiha would at least be too shocked to do anything for the moments sake.

Itachi felt Kakashi latch onto him, clinging to his chest with all of his strength. His arms went up as Kakashi's hands weaved themselves underneath them and around his ribs. His calm face was now filled with the utmost surprised expression. What was this all about? He was getting past the realization that Kakashi had just looked at him with a hint of desire in his eyes. He didn't believe it for a second. Would someone like him, one of the top elite ninja from his village, give into a wanting desire this fast? Did Kakashi even feel anything for him? It seemed impossible…yet….

Then it hit him. He could feel the jounin's body shivering from the chilly air. Kakashi was cold. Itachi's heart dropped a little, but not much. Kakashi had somewhat willingly thrown himself at his mercy; he hadn't ended up making that move himself. It sent the smallest of relief's into him.

For a while, the two of them just stood there. There was nothing really awkward about it. It was a mutual equilibrium of feelings. Itachi noted this. Kakashi's shivering grew faint, and he himself was enjoying every sensation he was receiving. Who new when something like this would happen again? It was best to get everything out of it as possible.

Before he could stop himself, he moved his arms around, embracing Kakashi's form. His soft skin was slowly warming; it wouldn't hurt to help things speed up. Not that he wanted it to go any faster…. He felt the jounin stiffen for a moment, and then relax as more heat spread through his limbs. Everything seemed to happen with perfect timing.

Itachi's embrace tightened a bit. Would Kakashi notice? He didn't care. He had a chance to hold onto him. It was so clear to him now, how he felt about Kakashi. Slowly he was giving up the fight between his conscious thoughts and bodily sensations. So far, the body was winning.

A minute later, He felt Kakashi push off slightly and move his hands downwards. What was he…?" His white hand traveled past both their abdomens, lower still. His fingers unknowingly brushed against Itachi, sending another explosion of aching into him. He almost gasped. But where Kakashi's hands went, was to himself. His face was looking downwards at the ground, refusing to look the Uchiha in the eye.

Was he blushing? Through the strands of silver, which created a wall between them, Itachi could see the obvious shade of a blush. He smirked against the top of the jounin's head. Hopefully Kakashi hadn't seen that though….

What was it that he wanted…? After a second, he knew. Kakashi obviously needed to relieve himself. He sighed inwardly, getting slightly disappointed that the action wasn't what he'd thought…. But it wasn't too late….

Automatically, Itachi shot away from the jounin's soft, milky skin, spreading his arms. His fingers moved quickly and unfastened his infamous cloak. Itachi moved so fast that this motion had left Kakashi suspended, balanced in the air, until the cloak was now safely draped around his shoulders. Itachi figured that this would suffice to keep in Kakashi's body heat until they got to the restroom. Kakashi was wearing next to nothing anyways…mostly bandages….

Thinking, Itachi thought that carrying Kakashi all the way just for him to relieve himself wasn't really an ideal idea. It sounded absurd, so he stepped back up to the jounin's teetering form, intending for Kakashi to lean on him.

In response, the leaf Nin leaned against Itachi for support, his face tilted away from him. Maybe Kakashi was too ashamed by this action? Itachi wasn't really sure if that was the reason Kakashi was turning away. What else could it be?

Together they slowly tracked down the maze of corridors until Itachi halted at a dark wooden door. In a graceful swing of his arm, he pushed the door open, and led Kakashi in with a gentle push. The jounin stumbled in, but caught his balance on one of the sinks. That was all Itachi saw until the door swung shut again. There was no reason for him to go in with Kakashi, even though he wanted to. To keep things simple he remained outside.

Not long afterwards, the door squeaked open. The form slumped against the wall, a look a relief on his face. His eyes were closed and he rested against the stone, breathing slowly but started to slide down the wall, slowly at first.

Itachi watched all of this with an acute fascination of the comfort temporarily showing on Kakashi's face. He advanced.

After taking care of some things in the restroom, Kakashi came back out reluctantly and slumped against the wall beside the door. The warmth that he'd received from Itachi's body heat was so comforting; he had almost fallen asleep again in his arms. He would have too, if it hadn't been for the painful ache of the need to relieve himself. He was also starving, but that could wait. At least he'd be able to feed himself this time…. He also wore the Akatsuki cloak now. Its red clouds barely standing out against the darkness of the corridor.

Kakashi glanced over at Itachi. He wondered what the Uchiha look like without the cloak on. He'd never seen him without his cloak. He'd only seen a sliver of Itachi through a crack in the cloth earlier…. Damn, he was thinking about him again. Why was it so hard for him not to?

He had managed to see the basics of muscular, but slender torso beneath a half fishnet shirt, some of the normal stomach guards, and black pants, similar to his own. Kakashi considered this. It was the similar attire to a shinobi of Leaf. He too, had this beneath his normal clothes. When he was fully clothed that is…. Before the cloak, Kakashi had been nearly half naked. The cloak was better than just bandages.

At least Itachi hadn't completely abandoned everything about Konoha. He still dressed, besides the cloak and slashed head protector, like a Leaf Nin.

Kakashi had started slipping down the wall, his feet loosing their grip on the floor, his legs giving out. There was a grey flash as Itachi suddenly jumped in front of him, grasping him at the hips, saving him from the fall. He was pulled up to his feet again. He took a quick intake of air. That was close.

As before, he found himself pressed up against the wall by Itachi's body. He was able to resist, but he was also too tired again. He let Itachi hold him up. What else would he do? It had been silent up until now. No words had been exchanged. But now, a breathy voice purred into his ear. The tone was filled with something unexplainable. It was different than what he'd ever heard.

"Curious, Kakashi-san?" It was a seductive whisper. Chills ran down his spine.

"…" He had remained silent, put on the spot. Damn Itachi.

This brought a sly twist in the corner of Itachi's lips. Seemingly satisfied with the silence, He kept his hands in place on Kakashi's hips underneath the cloak, while running his mouth across the leaf Nin's jaw bone. His tongue flicked out, grazing the same scar that had been created from his own kunai. As expected, the jounin stiffened, and a faint moan of pleasure flew out of his lips, which were next captured with Itachi's own lips. He ran a tongue knowingly over his prisoner's lips, reveling in it all.

His hands moved to Kakashi's lower abdomen, brushing his fingers gently up against him. Maybe it would do the same as it had done to him….

Kakashi's mouth opened in an exhilarated gasp, slightly immobile by the sensation. As soon as he regained composure, he tried to slide away, only to be met by another kiss.

"Give in, you know you want to." Itachi's voice seemed so welcoming, so unashamed….

"No…" The silver haired jounin whispered in the middle of another hated groan. _Not again_… He had, long ago, become aware of the effects that Itachi's actions were having on him. His stomach was filled with a pleasurable fluttering. He detested it. His body kept fighting him, wanting him to give in.

Slightly impatient for a reaction, Itachi decided on brushing his fingers against Kakashi's inner legs once again. He hoped it might work…just one more time….

"Stop fighting, you're fighting…god….just give in…." The Uchiha felt like he was pleading to him inside, but his voice was still calm and seductive. He couldn't stand the rush anymore. He was going to have him, somehow. His desire was too much. He'd never been so hard. He had begun to caress Kakashi passionately beneath the cloak. _Give in, give in, give in_…. He begged this of Kakashi. He loved the advantage that he had over this silver haired beauty, the resistance he gave, but he needed a different kind of power struggle now. He needed him to react back into him. _Please Kakashi_….

Almost as if on command, there was an obvious tighten and release of muscle. After a few minutes of struggling with Kakashi's self control, he couldn't resist Itachi's touches anymore. He had to admit, he liked it…. No one had touched him like this before. The caressing was almost too much to handle. He was harder than he ever thought possible. He couldn't resist…give in…No! Give in….

Kakashi found himself filled with a new strength and he vaguely pushed off the wall. His hands began sliding up Itachi's sides, across his stomach, exploring the exposed flesh upon his chest and then up to his neck. He worked slowly at first, unsure if he was doing it right. His body was flushed with both arousal and embarrassment.

His tongue was now in a battle with Itachi's, exploring the dips and curves inside. Both of their eyes were shut, but the shock and lust emanated out. Kakashi knew he'd regret this later, it was wrong beyond all reason…but for the moment, he'd give in…. They pressed against each other, a mix of silver and black. For now, he'd forget everything else but him….

Kakashi continued to trail kisses across Itachi's neck, causing a few soft moans to leave both of them. He'd been wondering what had made Itachi do what he did before. But now...he thought he understood... He managed a smirk himself this time. _So this was what it was like_…? He decided to confirm Itachi's question from earlier between a lengthy kiss.

"I'm curious..."

**……… so how was that? Hopefully it was better than the last chapter…hehe…. Well, I enjoyed writing this and it was longer that I expected it to be. 7 pages! 7 pages for chapter 7…. This is my second or maybe third try had writing some type of lusty writing, since this story started. This is my first lusty, romance story at all…and it happened to have two guys as the couple…It's kind of funny. No, this is not the last chapter, but I'm not exactly sure what to write in the next one, and I'm a bit brain dead after all of this writing. So if you have any suggestions, please share, you will be given credit. Just don't be sad if your idea's not used, but most likely they will. Until then…..Adios. **


	8. I'm back and writing!

**EDIT: 7/15/07**

**I'M BACK! FINALLY IT'S BEEN MONTHS!**

Okay, it's been months since my Grandma has died and i'm okay now of course lol, and i'm out of school and have much more free time. AND i'm finally in the mood to start writing again. I think i was 'written out' because of the major research papers we had to do so lol. I think i'm recovered. I'm going back and editing my stories now, trying to fix out all this point of veiw mix up crap. So yes, once i'm happy with them, i'll continue to post more chapters! yay


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